AAGILE COMPUTING

A MULTI CORE CPU(or chip-level multiprocessor, CMP) combines two or more independent cores into a single package composed of a single integrated circuits (IC), called a die, or more dies packaged together.

A dual-core processor contains two cores and a quad-core processor contains four cores. A multi-core microprocessor implements multiprocessing in a single physical package.

A processor with all cores on a single die is called a monolithic processor. Cores in a multicore device may share a single coherent cache at the highest on-device cache level (e.g. L2 for the intel Core 2) or may have separate caches (e.g. current AMD dual-core processors).

 The processors also share the same interconnect to the rest of the system. Each “core” independently implements optimizations such as Superscalar execution, pipelining and multithreading.

Advantages

The proximity of multiple CPU cores on the same die allows the cache coherency circuitry to operate at a much higher clock rate than is possible if the signals have to travel off-chip.These higher quality signals allow more data to be sent in a given time period since individual signals can be shorter and do not need to be repeated as often.Assuming that the die can fit into the package, physically, the multi-core CPU designs require much less PCBs space than multi-chip SMP designs.

 Also, a dual-core processor uses slightly less power than two coupled single-core processors, principally because of the increased power required to drive signals external to the chip and because the smaller silicon process geometry allows the cores to operate at lower voltages; such reduction reduces latency.

A webcam, or web camera, is the loosely used term for any camera that generates images that can be accessed by and displayed on the world wide web through a server. A webcam is essentially just a camera that is connected to a computer, either directly or wirelessly, and gathers a series of images for remote display elsewhere. Webcam technology is widely used by all sorts of people for all sorts of different reasons.

In 1991, the first webcam was up and running at Cambridge University’s Computer Science Department, but since then, webcams have crept into homes, businesses, public streets and buildings. Webcams are often used for personal use in the home by parents who want to give distant relatives visual access to their children or want to monitor what goes on in the home while they are at work. People might also use webcams in the home to keep an eye on things while they are out of town or even just to see what their pets do all day. The uses of a webcam are limitless. Businesses often use webcams for video conferencing, and webcam technology is used by numerous other entities to give the public access to a variety of information, from weather and traffic to the feeding habits of the most recently acquired zoo animal. Some schools and day care facilities use a webcam to allow parents to see what their children do at school.

The webcam basically works by capturing a series of digital images that are transferred by the computer to a server and then displayed to the hosting page. There are even sites that allow users to upload and store their webcam images for free, which many individuals choose for personal use. Webcams vary in their capabilities and features, and the variances are reflected in price. Some webcams capture a still image only once every 30 seconds, while others provide streaming video by capturing 30 images per second. A webcam can be purchased at any computer store and most major electronics retailers, as well as online. A knowledgeable sales associate should be able to help any consumer choose the right webcam.

External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or eSATA is an external interface for SATA technologies. It competes with FireWire 400 and universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 to provide fast data transfer speeds for external storage devices.

SATA replaced ATA legacy technology as the next generation internal bus interface for hard drives. The SATA interface is more streamlined than ATA and provides serial architecture for greater speed than the older parallel technology. SATA cables are narrow and can be up to three feet (1 meter) in length, whereas parallel cables are much wider and limited to a length of 18 inches (45.7 cm). With eSATA, the speed of SATA expands to encompass exterior storage solutions.

While eSATA reaches transfer rates triple those of USB 2.0 and FireWire 400, it does have one drawback. eSATA requires its own power connector, unlike the aforementioned interfaces. However, it is an excellent choice for external disk storage. Unlike USB and FireWire interfaces, eSATA does not have to translate data between the interface and the computer. This enhances data transfer speeds, while saving computer processor resources and eliminating the need for an extra off-load chip.

For desktop motherboards that don’t have an eSATA connector, a bus card can provide an eSATA interface. Notebooks can use a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) card. eSATA enables use of fast SATA drives for external disk arrays, not only expanding valuable storage real estate, but also enabling truly fast portable storage. eSATA’s hot-swappable feature makes taking disks from work to home, or from one computer to another, a snap. Administrators, IT techs, advertising and marketing executives, and even gamers will find this beneficial.

SATA has differing standards, with older hardware supporting the original standard exclusively. With each new SATA iteration, speed increases. Original SATA, or SATA/150, has a data transfer speed of 150 megabytes per second (MB/s). SATA II or SATA/3Gbs doubled the speed to 300 MB/s or 3 gigabits per second. This is also sometimes referred to as SATA/300. Some sources report SATA/600 will be available by 2007.

When purchasing an eSATA controller or bus card, be sure it supports the SATA standard required by your SATA hard drive(s). Hardware that supports newer standards is usually backwards compatible with older devices, but the reverse does not hold. An eSATA controller made for SATA/150, for example, will not be able to support the faster transfer speeds of a SATA/300 hard drive.

A TFT monitor uses thin-film transistor technology for the ultimate LCD display. LCD monitors, also called flat panel displays, are replacing the old style cathode ray tubes (CRTs) as the displays of choice. Nearly all LCD monitors today use TFT technology.

The benefit of a TFT monitor is a separate, tiny transistor for each pixel on the display. Because each transistor is so small, the amount of charge needed to control it is also small. This allows for very fast re-drawing of the display, as the image is re-painted or refreshed several times per second.

Prior to TFT, passive matrix LCD displays could not keep up with fast moving images. A mouse dragged across the screen, for example, from point A to point B, would disappear between the two points. A TFT monitor can track the mouse, resulting in a display that can be used for video, gaming and all forms of multimedia.

A typical 17-inch TFT monitor has about 1.3 million pixels and 1.3 million transistors. That leaves a significant chance for a malfunctioning transistor or two on the panel. Upon delivery, a TFT monitor can have “dead pixels” for this reason. A dead pixel is a pixel whose transistor has failed, thereby creating no display image. On a solid black background, dead pixels will stand out as tiny dots of red, white or blue. Most manufacturers will not replace a TFT monitor that has less than 11 dead pixels. Often, a TFT monitor won’t have any dead pixels —- always the hope for any buyer, though dead pixels are not noticeable unless located in a critical position on the screen.

There are only a handful of TFT factories that turn out panels for all brands of TFT monitors. Since there is a given failure rate — considering how many transistors are on each panel — only so many of the displays come out bearing no dead pixels, while a certain percentage bear an acceptable number of dead pixels and other panels are unusable. The panels that bear some dead pixels are often sold to be used in discount models. If looking for a TFT monitor, it is a good idea to read feedback provided by buyers at popular online retail sites. By scanning the reviews for several brands, it is easy to get a feel for which models have consistently good panels that rarely bear dead pixels.

A TFT monitor delivers crisp text, vibrant color and an improved response time for multimedia applications. If interested in gaming, video editing or other multimedia applications, look for a TFT monitor with a response rate of 16ms or less.